The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with Environmental Management Systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.

The other standards and guidelines in the family address specific environmental aspects, including: labeling, performance evaluation, life cycle analysis, communication and auditing.

What is the ISO 14000 Standard?

The ISO 14000 Series is an Environmental Standard that is regulated by the ISO Standard Development Committee. This series of standards is designed to cover all environmental aspects of an organisation, assisting them to develop a solid framework to identify, prioritise, manage and control environmental risks.

The ISO 14001 Standard consists of the following elements:

• General requirements,
• Environmental policy,
• Planning,
• Implementation and operation,
• Checking and corrective action, and
• Management review.

The ISO 14000 Series of Standards incorporates other environmental standards and guidelines that have been developed by the ISO committee, the most relevant being:

• ISO 14004 - Environmental Management Systems - General Guidelines on Principles Systems and Supporting Techniques;
• ISO 14010 - Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - General Principles of Environmental Auditing;
• ISO 14011 - Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Audit Procedures - Auditing of Environmental Management Systems; and
• ISO 14012 - Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Qualification Criteria for Environmental Auditors.

Benefits

The benefits of ISO 14001 Certification can be summarised as follows:

• Enhancing competitiveness to avoid international trade barriers,
• Improving process efficiency,
• Preventing uncertainties and risks,
• Reducing cost by reducing raw material use, energy consumption and disposal costs etc, and
• Demonstrating current status of compliance with legal requirements.

Environmental Standards Certification

Companies are now aware of their environmental responsibilities with the ability to demonstrating environmental responsibility being one of the modern challenges for management.

An effective Environmental Management System can help minimise your environmental liability and waste; improve business efficiency and achieve cost savings, whilst having a positive impact on your Company image.

Impartiality and Independence

DAS Certification (AS/NZ) is independently accredited by UKAS for the certification of ISO 14000 Environmental Management Systems.

Service Tailored to Your Business

We provide a certification service to satisfy your business needs by:

• Programming audit dates to suit your business requirements;
• Matching auditor skills to your environmental, information security, products, technology, processes and services;
• Utilising our own independently certified Environmental Management System Auditors and Technical Specialists;
• Applying an open-book approach to auditing; and
• Identifying the areas within the Environmental Management System that add most value to your Company.

Your Route to Certification

Enquiry and Free Estimate

Following your enquiry and completion of our application and questionnaire, we review that information and provide you with a free quote for services. There are no fees until you accept the quote and return the signed contract that includes the conditions for certification. We contact you to start the certification process and agree dates for the Stage 1 Audit and assign an Auditor who will liaise directly with you to finalise the audit arrangements.

Stage 1 Audit

The Stage 1 Audit (part of which is generally conducted on-site) provides a focus for planning the Main Audit. We review documentation specific to your business and work with your staff to quickly resolve any problems.

Main Audit Visit

The Main Audit measures the effectiveness of the Environmental Management System in managing your environmental aspects, performance criteria, products, processes and services.

The audit is carried out alongside your own people, with results and findings openly discussed and reviewed. At the end of the audit, a report is prepared for acknowledgement and acceptance by your Company Representative. Any corrective actions arising from the audit are discussed and any forward plan of work agreed, including a follow-up visit if needed.

Certification Approval and Surveillance Programme

When your Environmental Management System complies with ISO14001, a certificate of approval is issued which is valid for three years, subject to satisfactory on-going maintenance of your Environmental Management System. Verification is through an audit programme that is carried out by yearly surveillance visits organised to fit in with your business requirements.

Three-yearly Reassessment Visit

Every three years, your Environmental Management System needs to be reassessed.

Following satisfactory reassessment, your certificate is reissued for a further three years.

Figure1: The Route to Certification